Hinata's Mission
by Gogeta Uzumaki
Summary: This is a story I wrote for my wife before we got married. I honestly think it's one of the things that convinced her to marry me. It's cheesy and lovey dovey, but hey, got me an amazing wife so it can't be that bad.


It was a hot day in Konoha, Hinata thought. She'd been out and about for most of the day following Naruto. _I'm going to tell him today. _She kept telling herself, but she could never find the right moment to tell him. As she watched, Naruto turned a corner and when Hinata peeked around the corner, there he was waiting for her.

"Hey Hinata." Naruto said brightly, "What's up?"

"Oh…um…hi, Naruto…" she stammered, blushing madly.

"Were you following me?" He asked with a smile.

"O-only to tell you something." Hinata said in a small voice.

"Well? What is it?"

"I…wanted to tell you that…I…lo-lo-Lady Hokage has a mission for us." Hinata screamed internally.

"A mission?" Naruto said, getting excited, "What kind?"

_Why did I say that? _Hinata demanded of herself, _I don't have a mission._

"Hinata?"

"Um…I have to uh…take some papers to uh…Suna."

"Wow that does sound like an important mission. Sure, I'll help you out." Naruto said.

_How did this happen? _Hinata kept asking herself. She was alone with Naruto, but she had lied to him and now they were going to Suna for no reason. She eventually decided to try to enjoy herself and worry about the papers later.

"So…uh…Naruto…"Hinata began.

"What is it, Hinata?"

"Oh uh…nothing, don't worry."

Hinata cursed her shyness. This was the perfect opportunity, but she couldn't bring herself to talk to Naruto.

They continued through the forest canopy in silence for a while, Hinata trying to initiate conversation, but failing every time. Only when Hinata sensed danger and activated her Byakugan did she find her voice.

"Naruto! Get down!" she yelled and pushed him.

He yelped in surprise, but saw the shuriken fly past and understood. He dropped to a lower branch and a second later, he was hidden in the surrounding forest. Several more kunai and shuriken came flying toward Hinata and she easily deflected them with her Protective 64 Palms. The rain of tools came to a halt and Hinata alighted softly on a branch as a single bandit revealed himself. He wore a brown cap, dark blue shirt and pants, and wore a patch over one eye.

"I'm surprised you survived that, little girl." He sneered.

"Shinobi of Konoha don't go down without a fight." Hinata said.

"Is that so?" the bandit said, "Do you think you can take my gang of one hundred bandits on by yourself, Shinobi of Konoha?"

"It's a bluff, Naruto," Hinata yelled, her Byakugan scanning the trees, "There's only five including him."

"Shut up you little-" a bandit snarled as he dropped behind Hinata. He slashed with a kunai, but Hinata easily dodged and struck his tenketsu. The bandit was frozen for a moment, but then his body went limp and he fell; completely paralyzed, to the forest floor below.

Hinata turned back to face the the first bandit and found Naruto stopping the bandit from stabbing her in the back. "I won't let you hurt my friend."

Naruto swept the legs out from under the bandit and threw him to the forest floor with his friend. Naruto shifted into Chakra Mode and he instantly knew where the other enemies were.

Through her Byakugan, Hinata followed Naruto as he launched himself thought the trees eliminating the remaining bandits. He appeared in front of her again, looking concerned.

"You ok, Hinata?"

"Yes…thanks to you." She said quietly.

Naruto smiled and helped Hinata down to the ground. They decided to walk for a bit to allow their stressed bodies to relax. Hinata continued to fidget behind Naruto, trying to gather her nerve, but she never managed more than a whisper. Soon the sun began to set and as they were getting closer to the desert, it was bound to be a cold night.

They found a small clearing and decided to set up camp. This didn't take long because they had left the village quickly and traveled light. They both sat with their backs to a tree under a thin blanket with a small fire in front of them. For a while they were both comfy, by as dusk turned to night, a cold wind began to blow.

The two shinobi pulled their blankets tighter, but they offered little protection. As the night progressed, the wind blew harder, threatening to blow their blankets away. Even the fire offered little comfort as it nearly blew out several times.

Hinata shivered under her blankets and felt Naruto's hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to face him and saw him holding up his blanket. Hinata looked confused so Naruto moved closer to Hinata, wrapping his blanket around her.

"We'll stay warmer this way." Naruto said, with a slight blush.

Hinata could feel her face burning just at the thought of having Naruto this close to her. She tried to voice her agreement, but settled for a nod. The night was still cold, but Hinata seemed to care far less about the weather than before. She felt her eyes getting heavy and was soon asleep.

Hinata woke up at dawn the next day to the gentle rise and fall of Naruto's chest. She opened her eyes and found that she and Naruto had wrapped their arms around each other in their sleep. She felt the burn in her face again, but for once didn't flinch away. Hinata instead felt herself relax back into Naruto's embrace and felt happiness blossom in her chest. He smelled nice, Hinata thought.

Eventually Naruto began to stir and Hinata reluctantly sat up. He got to his feet and stretched, already ready to go. Hinata go to her feet as well and as soon as their blankets had been stowed, they were off.

The desert soon came into view and Hinata began to feel pangs of guilt; soon Naruto would know the truth. They continued to run and before she realized it, they were in Sunagakure.

"Man, it's been a while since I've been here." Naruto said once they were inside the village. "Now who do we have to give those papers to?"

"Hmm…to the Kazekage, I suppose." Hinata mumbled as she fidgeted on the spot.

"You ok, Hinata?"

"Oh yes…I'm fine." Hinata said, slightly flustered.

Naruto didn't seem convinced, but he turned on the spot and led the way to the Kazekage's mansion. The closer they got, the more Hinata began to fidget until it began to affect the way she walked. Finally at the entrance to the mansion, Naruto could ignore it no longer.

"Hinata, what's wrong? You've been twitching ever since we got to the village."

"Well I uh…" Hinata began.

"Hinata! Naruto!" a new voice called.

"Ino!" Hinata called back, happy for the save.

"What are you two doing here?" Ino asked glancing at Hinata's anxious face.

"Hinata had some papers to deliver so I decided to help her out." Naruto explained.

"Did something happen on the way?" Ino asked Hinata more than Naruto. Hinata shook her head, but her pained expression piqued Ino's curiosity. She with Hinata telepathically with her jutsu and spoke in her mind.

_What happened? _Ino asked again.

Hinata's eyes went wide in surprise and every memory from Konoha to Suna flashed through Hinata's mind. Ino nodded knowingly and Hinata blushed deeply.

"Hey, Naruto, take a whiff of these would ya?" Ino said and waved a flower under his nose. Naruto sniffed and immediately began to sneeze violently. Ino quickly shoved some papers into Hinata's hands, _Take these to Gaara._ Hinata heard Ino say in her mind and then heard her laughing, "Sorry, Naruto. Wanted to make sure the flower's pollen was strong enough for a new ninja tool I'm working on."

"You…suck!" Naruto said between sneezes.

"So what are you doing in Suna?" Hinata asked.

"Oh Shikamaru had to talk to Gaara…well more like he missed Temari." Ino giggled, "I just came along to pick up this flower."

"Careful where you wave that thing!" Naruto yelled, holding his nose.

"Well I should probably get going." Ino said, "Good luck, Hinata."

"What do you think she meant by that?" Naruto asked as Ino ran away.

"No idea." Hinata lied as her face flushed again.

They both went to turn the papers in to Gaara, but it turned out he was in a meeting right now. Hinata instead gave them to Gaara's secretary. As she handed them over, Hinata realized that the papers were actually love letters to Gaara.

The 'mission' finally complete, Hinata and Naruto made their way out of the village and began the long trip back to Konoha. Hinata felt far more relaxed now and her mind kept drifting back to that morning; Naruto's warmth, his smell, the feeling of having him so close.

Wasn't that the whole point of this 'mission' though? Was she satisfied with only going this far? Or did she want to finally tell him how she felt without the threat of death looming over her? Her heart began to beat faster and it had nothing to do with the fact that she was running.

They reached the tree line and leapt back into the canopy of trees. Now in the shade of the forest, it was even easier for Hinata to day dream about sleeping with Naruto again. She shook her head to clear it, gathered her nerve and ran into Naruto's back.

"Ouch," Hinata gasped, "What happened?"

Naruto said nothing, but pointed straight ahead, "I know you're there. Show yourself!"

A man appeared from the shadows. He wore a brown bandana, a blue body suit and carried a large mace. His dark eyes moved from Naruto to Hinata and he seemed to come to a conclusion.

"You're the two brats that attacked my men yesterday!" he said in a low, gravelly voice.

"What if we are?" Naruto said, a dangerous tone in his voice.

The man said nothing, but lunged forward with his mace. Naruto slipped back into chakra mode and blocked the mace with his arm only to be sent crashing through the woods. The man brought the mace over his head and swung it down at Hinata. She tried to parry with her Protective 64 Palms, but the mace passed right through her barrier. The attack barely missed as Hinata side stepped and retreated a few steps.

"There's no point in resisting." The man said, "Soon you'll end up like your glowing boyfriend."

Hinata scowled and attacked with her Jyuuken, but the man blocked with his mace and lashed out again. Through her Byakugan, Hinata could see that the mace dissipated chakra, reducing her Jyuuken to little more than harmless pokes. The man lashed out with a strong blow and Hinata was flung against a tree trunk. The wind was knocked from her lungs and it was all she could do to roll off the branch to avoid the next attack.

Hinata fell through the air, unable to control her body. She couldn't land correctly and was instead about to land on her head, when Naruto reappeared and caught Hinata in his good arm.

"That's a heck of a mace." He said with a grimace.

"Your arm-"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Naruto said, cutting her off.

"The mace negates chakra." Hinata explained. She knew he wasn't fine, but just then the man dropped down from the trees to confront them on the forest floor. Naruto put Hinata back on her feet just as the man rushed them for another attack. Each shinobi ducked the attack and retreated, putting him between them. They shared a look and then attacked simultaneously.

Naruto struck with his Rasengan, but the mace made short work of the chakra ball. Then Hinata launched a Jyuuken assault, but the mace blocked every attack. The man's speed and precision were unbelievable.

"He has to slip up eventually." Naruto yelled out.

Naruto was the one to slip up however. He threw a punch at the man who ducked and then brought the mace upward. It slammed into Naruto's chest and launched him skyward. Hinata gasped and leapt to catch him. She caught him midair and he seemed only semi-conscious, but she forced him to focus.

"Naruto, we have to attack as one." She yelled, "I need a Rasengan."

"I can barely feel my arm." He mumbled.

"It's ok, just help me make one."

Hinata began to mold chakra into her palms and Naruto used his good hand to shape the Rasengan as best as he could. The Rasengan began to form and rather than its normal blue, it took on a lavender tint. The two began to fall back to Earth and Hinata saw the man waiting to strike the final blow.

Hinata pointed the Rasengan at the man and he moved the mace to intercept it. The Jutsu hit the mace and began to dissipate like before, but Hinata struck with her other hand that she had flooded the remainder of her chakra with. The Twin Lion Fist smashed into the man's neck which gave a nasty crunching sound and the man's body collapsed under the weight of their combination Rasengan.

They hit the ground hard, but Hinata held Naruto close to herself as she rolled away from the man's broken body. They finally came to rest against a tree and she had to fight to stay conscious. She forced herself to sit up and check Naruto over. Her Byakugan showed a fractured arm and several bruised ribs.

_This is all my fault. _Hinata thought to herself. If she hadn't come up with this fake mission, none of this would've happened. Tears stung at her eyes, but she brushed them away and forced herself to focus on Naruto's wounds. None of them were very bad, so she felt confident she could handle it.

Hinata tore the sleeves from her jacket and used them to make a make-shift splint for Naruto's arm. She also tied one around Naruto's ribs the best she could. She tried to use her chakra to mend his bones, but she could sense the Kyuubi's chakra doing this already. He moaned slightly as she laid him down, but then he seemed to relax and fell deeper into his sleep.

Hinata sighed and checked herself over. No major injuries presented themselves, so she pulled Naruto closer to her and sat with her back to a tree. Sleep began to take her and she welcomed it openly.

Hinata woke to the sound of Naruto's voice. She opened her eyes and found Naruto's concerned face close to hers. For the first time, she didn't feel embarrassed to have him so close. She stretched and smiled at Naruto showing that she was fine. It was late in the day, Hinata guessed she's been out for at least five hours.

Naruto seemed fine now and Hinata's Byakugan confirmed that his bones had knit enough for him to be moving around. They set out again, wanting to get a bit closer before nightfall, but soon the sun was set and the cold wind began to blow again. Hinata began to shiver since her long coat had no sleeves now and they decided to stop and make camp for the night.

The wrapped up in the blankets, but this night seemed to be even colder than the last one. Naruto offered to share the blankets again and Hinata eagerly accepted. She began to feel comfortable, but then Naruto's hand touched hers.

"Jeez, Hinata! Is that your hand?" Naruto gasped, "It's freezing!"

"Well I tore my sleeves off so…"

Realization dawned on Naruto and he unzipped his jacket. Hinata felt the blush return to her face and the next thing he knew, she was laying on top of Naruto. He moved her arms so that they were against his chest, but still wrapped in his jacket. Naruto wrapped his arms around her and they laid there keeping each other warm.

"I'm sorry, Naruto." Hinata muttered after a while.

"What? Why?"

Hinata explained how there had never been a mission, that the papers had actually been from Ino and that it was her fault they'd been attacked twice. Tears began to flow down Hinata's cheeks as her shame built up in her heart. Naruto was silent during this explanation and only talked after she had calmed down.

"Why did you do that?"

"I…I just wanted…some time with you…" Hinata said between sniffles.

"You could've done that without making up a mission." Naruto said.

"I panicked…" Hinata said lamely

"Why?"

"Because I…because I…"

"You what?"

"L-L-Lo…"

"You love me?" Naruto asked. Hinata couldn't bring herself to speak so she just nodded. "Well that's a relief."

"What?" Hinata couldn't begin to understand what Naruto meant; her mind was foggy from joy from telling Naruto how she felt again.

"Becaue I love you too." Naruto said.

Hinata had expected a lot of things, but never this one, "What?"

"How could I not?" Naruto chuckled, "You've done so much for me over the years. Even today, you saved my life and then fixed me up."

"Yes, but-" Hinata didn't get to argue as Naruto cut her off with a kiss.

The usual burn spread across her face, but Hinata didn't care; the fire burning in her heart was much hotter. She hugged Naruto closer to herself and returned Naruto's kiss. Several emotions ran through Hinata in a single instant and she was forced to break the kiss to catch her breath. She looked down at Naruto's calm, smiling face and felt completely at ease with him. She moved in for another kiss and Naruto happily gave it to her.

_I did it. _Hinata thought, _I completed my mission._

For Ashley,

The love of my life.


End file.
